


Lost Marks

by RavenBird



Series: Warlock Facts [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Bigotry & Prejudice, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Discrimination Against Downworlders, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Magnus Bane, M/M, Powerful Magnus Bane, Protective Alec Lightwood, Scars, Shadowhunter history, Shadowhunters get schooled, Warlock Marks (Shadowhunter Chronicles)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-27
Updated: 2018-09-27
Packaged: 2019-07-06 12:02:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15885639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenBird/pseuds/RavenBird
Summary: After a mission gone wrong the team end up badly injured and crash at Magnus’s Loft.Magnus is drained and can’t keep his glamour up.What the Shadowhunters didn’t know, was that he had more than one.





	Lost Marks

The loft was quiet. Only the faint tick tock from Magnus’s grandfather clock and the subtle hiss from a brewing potion disturbed the silence. It was calm and peaceful.

It didn’t last.

A portal burst into the living room and four exhausted Shadowhunters and a Warlock fell through it. The group collapsed in a heap of limbs on the Persian rug while the portal snapped closed behind them.

Magnus was the first to stir, pushing himself up with a groan. He’d used up a lot of magic and in the last few minutes gotten sliced through the stomach while protecting Clary. He’d healed as much as he could but it was still bleeding. He turned to group of Shadowhunters still sprawled on his floor and huffed.

“It’s a routine mission, they said. It’ll be easy, they said”

The group moaned, standing up they looked no better than Magnus. Covered in blood and ichor although Isabelle was the only who had sustained a serious injury. They were all pale and tired looking.

“The scanner only showed around 20 Shax demons. Not 60!!!”

“It’s not like we had the time to call for back up”

“We’re alive, aren’t we? What more do you want”

Magnus rolled his eyes at Jace’s last remark. The boy seriously didn’t consider a day normal if he didn’t come home covered in ichor and had a near death experience. He turned to his desk to start mixing a paste to heal his stomach, he was too tired to do actual magic, and to make a tonic for Isabelle. He noticed while he worked, Alec had disappeared only to come back with a hand full of clothes while others started to strip off and apply runes.

It made Magnus smile, in an exasperated sort of way. He’d been going out with the hunters a lot recently and they’d almost always come back to the loft after. Somewhere along the way the four adults had started leaving clothes in the spare rooms to change into. Except Alexander, his stuff was in Their Room. It made him happy they all were so comfortable around him. Seeing them changing clothes reminded Magnus of his own ruined attire.

He took a deep breath and snapped his fingers, changing his trousers to sweatpants, removing his jewellery and make up and leaving himself topless. Magnus’s entire lower stomach was stained red from where the demons claws had slashed him and was still ozing blood. It really was a sight. Across the room Magnus noticed Alexander staring at him, looking worried. He smiled reassuringly at the other man.

“It looks worse than it actually is”

He grabbed a wet rag to clean himself off and then started to apply the mint green paste to the wound. It stung like a bitch but Magnus knew it worked. In his exhaustion, Magnus didn’t notice the thin pale scars that had appeared on his body. Seeing that the tonic was done too, he tossed the viel over to Isabelle, who caught it despite her injury, and downed it. Magnus snickered at her disgusted face.

“If it tastes awful then you know it works”

Magnus turned around again, this time with his back fully facing the group, reaching for the bandages when the others gasped. Magnus spun back around and was met with four horrified faces. Jace was stunned, Izzy and Clary looked as though they might cry and Alexander...Alexander looked pained, distraught and a bit murderous. Concern flared up in the Warlock, not understanding where sudden emotion from the Shadowhunters was coming from. He raised his arms in surrender stepping forward slowly.

Woah, what’s with the faces? It’s really not that bad.” 

Magnus said, thinking this was about his stomach wound. Honestly, it didn’t hurt, just ached and Magnus could already feel it healing. 

“What happned to your back?”

“When did it happen?”

“Magnus, who did that to you?”

Magnus was beyond confused at the sudden onslaught of questions that made no sense. What happened to his back? What did they mean, his back was fine, the demon hadn’t gotten him there. But then Magnus caught sight of one of the little white scars on his body. This one just above his left hip. Oh... In his exhaustion he’d dropped his body glamour. All the scars, and the memories that came with them, that Magnus tried to hide were on display. And when they asked about his back...oh god Magnus did not want to have this conversation. They’d seen his back as it truly was. 

His face went blank, arms dropping as he stepped back. A snap of his fingers had his wound bandaged and then Magnus made a beeline for his blue satin robe. A desperate attempt to cover himself but Alec was quicker. He was in front of the other man in a heart beat holding his hands not letting him put the robe on. His eyes while still sad had gone soft and he spoke in a whisper.

“You don’t have to hide or be ashamed or be afraid. You don’t have to tell us, we won’t pry but know that you can tell us and we won’t think less of you, we’ll support you. We care about you, Magnus”

Magnus gulped. Even after all this time he wasn’t used to Alexander’s blunt honesty or they way it would hit him and rock him to his core. He looked to the others and saw them all nodding with small smiles playing on their faces. Magnus pulled the robe from Alec’s hands and slipped it on. He nodded too. 

“It’s from the uprising, most of the scars you saw are.”

Magnus started, gesturing to his chest before he went to sit down. Alec, Izzy, Jace and Clary joined him. 

“What do you know of early Shadowhunter customs concerning Downworlders?”

The four Shadowhunters looked at each other blankly, unsure of how to answer.

“Urm”

“Not much really”

“The Clave doesn’t really teach much concerning the Downworld”

“Just that they thought themselves better than Downworlders”

Magnus isn’t surprised by their lack of knowledge and doesn’t hold it against them. He doubted the Clave taught anything that showed them off in a bad light. And what Magnus was about to tell the young hunters was undeniably awful.

“Back in the day, before the Accords, Shadowhunters hunted Downworlders for sport. They would take Werewolf claws, Vampire fangs and Warlock marks as trophies”

He heard how their breath hitched at his words. Looking up, Clary looked horrified her hand covering her mouth in shock. The others were glaring at nothing. Staring straight ahead, as though they were mad but not overly surprised. Well, didn’t that say a lot. 

“When Valentine formed The Circle he brought back that tradition. During one of their hunts, myself and some others intervened. We held The Circle off while their intended targets escaped. To say they weren’t pleased would be an understatement”

Magnus paused, wondering how detailed he should make the next part of the story. On one hand they’d asked for the truth, the whole truth but Magnus didn’t want to cause family tensions. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted to relive the next bit. 

“My group and I got separated, a team of around 5-8 Shadowhunters surrounded me and I was, like I am now, drained. I couldn’t hold all of them off on my own so they got the upper hand. Forced me to the ground and held me there. I could feel my glamours slipping and I had to make a choice, I decided I’d keep my eyes and they saw my wings”

Alec gaped. Magnus had wings or used to have wings. He wondered what they’d looked like, were they beautiful like his cat eyes. He scoffed to himself, of course they would’ve been...and Alec would never get to see them because they were gone. Taken. 

“You don’t have to tell us the rest” 

“There’s not much else to tell. When they saw my wings they knew exactly what they do. Said they were doing a good service, said that a monster should never be graced with angels wings even if they were black. They used their daggers to cut around my wings and then pulled and pulled and pulled until they were torn from my back. The pain was indescribable” 

For the first time since they’d entered the loft their was silence. The images Magnus conjured were vile, the thought of flesh being torn apart playing on loop in their minds. The Shadowhunters couldn’t believe it, the extent of cruelty their kind had inflicted on Magnus. It shocked them that he was even friends with them. 

“Luckily, Catarina found me before they killed me. She took them out with a wave of her hand, she was so angry. She couldn’t repair the damage, couldn’t sew my wings to my back but she could stitch up the wound, take the pain away. Once it was healed I took to glamouring my body. I didn’t want to be reminded of what I’d lost”

There was beat and then

“We’re so sorry Magnus” the Shadowhunters said in unison. Magnus only waved them off. 

“Don’t be, it’s not your fault” he said with sad eyes. 

For a while the group sat quietly, none of them sure of what to say. Alec was holding Magnus’s hands trying the smooth the Warlock but the other man gave no indecation of noticing. 

“What were they like, your wings” Izzy asked.

Magnus got this far away look in his eyes and a hint of a smile ghosted his face. It made the Shadowhunters breath easier. 

“They were huge. At full wing span they wouldn’t fit in this room. They were traditional angel wings but black like I said, the feathers soft as silk, the tips looked as though they’d been dipped in gold. To match my eyes I suppose. When it rained they were a pain, they’d soak up all the water and it feel as though I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. But in the summer, when the skies were clear they felt weightless, carrying me over the city. Nothing can describe the feeling of flying. It’s breathtaking”

“I know the feeling” 

Alec hadn’t meant to say the words out loud. He was blushing madly but it made the words no less true. Being with Magnus was breathtaking. Looking at him now, relaxed, bathed in evening light and looking so happy as he spoke. He was the most beautiful man Alexander had ever seen. The scars both inside and out didn’t change that. 

Magnus was looking at Alec like he was stunned and Izzy, Jace and Clary took that as their cue to leave. The couple needed a moment. They turned more toward each other. 

“I’m sorry they took your wings Magnus but you have to know your still an angel without them. You always will be to me.”

“Oh Alexander, I assure you, your the angel here and I’m thankful everyday you chose to be with me. It takes my breath away” 

Alec blushed at Magnus’s subtle teasing, turning a shade of pink Magnus absolutely loved on him. Magnus was smiling now but Alec still saw the pain in his eyes, a bit of uncertainty. He leaned forward and gently kissed him. 

“Can I see them?” Alec asked quietly. 

Magnus pursed his lips but nodded. He turned around and shrugged his rob off. Alec stared at the savage marks running down his lovers back, they looked rough and jagged, dark red in colour. Gently he ran his hand down Magnus’s spine in between the two scars. 

“Does it hurt” 

“No, not anymore”

That was all the encouragement Alec needed. He leant forward and kissed the top of the first scar making Magnus shudder. He trailer his lips down and whispered “beautiful” when he reached the bottom. Magnus’s breath hitched. Alec made his way back up the other scar and this time whispered “strong”. After that Alec found every scar left on the mans body and kissed them, whispering words of love into the skin as though they could leave an imprint like the sareph blades had. When he finished, Magnus was lying back against the couch and Alec hovering over him, his legs bracketing Magnus’s hips but being careful not to put any weight on him. They were staring at each other. 

“I’ll always love you Magnus, scars and all”

“I love you too, Alexander” and Alec heard the “thank you” in his words.

They kissed. 

Shadowhunters had caused Magnus so much pain but Alec would be the one to heal him.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments appreciated. 
> 
> I’m taking prompts for this Series and my ShaperShifter Series as well if you would like to see something specific.


End file.
